Gunther von Kluge

Gunther von Kluge (30 October 1882-17 August 1944) was a Field Marshal of Germany who served the German Empire in World War I and Nazi Germany in World War II. During the latter war, he was a victorious general on the Eastern Front but was later convinced that Chancellor Adolf Hitler was insane. Kluge committed suicide in August 1944, fearing that he would be investigated for his nephew Karl Ernst Rahtgens' involvement in the Operation Valkyrie bomb plot against Hitler's life a month before.

Biography
Gunther von Kluge was born on 30 October 1882 in Posen in the German Empire, part of present-day Poland. He joined the Reichswehr in 1916 and served as a staff officer on the Western Front of World War I, fighting in the Battle of Verdun. By 1936 he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and he was promoted to command the German 6th Army in 1939 under the rule of Nazi Germany's Fuhrer Adolf Hitler. Kluge led the army into battle in Poland in September in the opening phase of World War II and led the attack through the Ardennes into France in 1940, and he was promoted to Field Marshal in July 1940 for his reputation for victory.

At the opening of Operation Barbarossa, he commanded the German 4th Army, but developed a feud with his subordinate Heinz Guderian, who refused to follow many of his orders. In late 1941 he replaced Fedor von Bock as commander of Army Group Centre in the Soviet Union and retained the post until 1943, having been wounded in October when his car overturned. During his time on the Eastern Front, he began to doubt Adolf Hitler's leadership and even his sanity, so Hitler sent him monetary gifts to bribe him to stay loyal to Nazi Germany. In July 1944 he recovered from his injuries and took over Army Group B during the fighting in Normandy against the Americans, British, Canadians, French Resistance, and Poles. On 5 July 1944 he replaced Gerd von Rundstedt as the commander of German forces on the Western Front and he also replaced Erwin Rommel as commander of the German Army Group B.

Kluge's leadership of Army Group B was plagued with command overrides from Hitler, who ignored Kluge's caution. Kluge was ordered to launch a counterattack against the Allies at Mortain, but this attack cost the Germans several lives that were irreplaceable. Kluge's doubts of Hitler's command led Hitler to recall him to Berlin and replace him with Walther Model. En route back to Berlin, Kluge was convinced that he would be investigated for his nephew's role in the attempt on Hitler's life on 20 July and for his previous involvement in the German Resistance, and he took cyanide near Metz, France while being taken home.